Traveling with Cats

Abby taking a nap

When I found out we were moving to Germany one of the first things that popped in my mind is what to do with the cats.  I adore our "little girls," as I call them, and their comfort on a long trip is very important to me. Actually it is a huge concern because unlike their furry friends the dogs, I can't take my cats out on a leash for a walk at the airport to do their business.  So, I was in a quandary.  There was absolutely no way I was going to have my girls penned up in their little carriers for almost three days!  I did a ton of research and I am happy to share it with you in the hopes it makes your kitties lives easier during their transition to Germany.



Where your cats are traveling on the plane will dictate what kind of carrier to get. We flew SouthWest so we had to have soft carriers so they could ride in the plane with us. I recommend this way because they are with you. Yes they may meow now and then, but people make noises too.  If you are traveling in the summer or winter this will be a concern for you as you don't want your pet flying cargo if it is going to be too cold or hot for them!

Carriers:
There are two kinds to get; hard or soft.  We already had hard sided ones from previous trips overseas. However this time they were traveling in cabin with us. The airlines are very picky about what you can use for traveling with your pets inside the cabin. Do your own research with our airlines. I went with the one for Delta Airlines. It is the exact same carrier as the one for SouthWest, only at the time I ordered it on Amazon.com they were out. Hence the Delta purchase.

I settled on the Sherpa 11721 Deluxe Pet Carrier.  It runs about $35. My friend Diana has this carrier for one of her kitties and she loved it. I always like a trusted recommendation from a fellow cat person. This has a  nice adjustable strap for your shoulder that you can remove it if you choose to. As well as nice flaps I can fold down or roll up depending on how nervous the girls are and how much privacy they want.  I am very pleased with this purchase.


Playpen:
For layovers I purchased these awesome playpens by Milliard.  They ran me about $40 each, but I thought they were worth it.  These play pens weigh 5 pounds each. They fold up compact enough that I carried both of them and they easily fit in the dimensions for carry on.  They are completely enclosed. I also plan on using mine when I take my girls out in the yard.

Portable litter boxes and litter: 
For the litter I simply used gallon sized storage bags, and scooped about 2C of litter into each one. Litter can be heavy. My cats don't need much to scratch around in. After all this is just a temporary fix while on layovers. I prepared six bags, which was enough for 3 stops. I only needed enough for two stops but wanted three to be safe. I am glad I did since I didn't know we were staying over at Ramstein the first night!  Then once I had the litter in the bags I put them into a larger bag to keep them all secure. I also brought along "litter box liners."  For the actual litter box is used drawer organizers. They measured 11x11x5 1/8. Yes they are smaller than a regular litter box, but my 18-pound cat managed just fine. Here is the link to IKEA.

I used the large ones as litter boxes.

I also portioned out their food for each of them.  I used the quart sized bags and put one days worth of food for each of them in one bag. For this I brought enough for 7 days to give me time to find the right food at the Commissary or PX once I arrived. I labeled these with their names on them and put them nicely in a gallon size zip lock bag.

For food and water dishes I purchased the collapsible dishes. There are many available. They fold up flat as can be when you are not using them. Very easy to store.

I used doggy pee pads to line the bottom of the carriers with so if the girls had an accident it was easy to clean up. I packed extras with me. I also had two baby blankets per cat. I tied one on the outside of the carrier just for easy access. The other was inside for them to snuggle with.

Security: Anytime you go through security you will need to take your cat out of the carrier and carry her through the metal detector with you as the carrier gets scanned with everything else. This is why I had one blanket tied on the outside. I simply untied it. Used it to scoop up my little girl and wrap her in it so she wasn't scared and carry her on through.  Once done it was easy enough to plop her back in. Sometimes, not always, they also run a wand through the inside of the case. They will also swab your hands once you put your cat back in.

When I got my playpens I set one of them up so the girls could play in it and get used to it. Oh, and yes, I did buy two. They were light enough and I knew the girls would be stressed out and I didn't want them to fight if I put them both in one. It is big enough to handle both cats though.

My girls in their playpens at BWI

So, when I had a stop over I immediately found a spot out of the way of everyone. Set up their kennels all secure. Set up their litter boxes, got them a little food and water then put them in their pens for a break. For more privacy you can use your extra baby blanket to lay on the top of the playpen.  This gave me a chance to freshen up their carriers if they needed it.

The nice thing is I am using these portable bowls and litter boxes the whole time I am in the

I hope this helps ease your  mind about moving your kitties to Germany.  My girls were very ready to be out of their kennels by the time we got to Grafenwoehr. But, they were just fine!